Treatment Using Individualized Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Abstract

Systems and methods for treatment of a mental disorder of a subject are disclosed. The methods include receiving a first set of electroencephalography (“EEG”) measurements that each correspond to brain activity at one or more of a plurality of zones of a brain of the subject. The methods further include determining a target frequency for the subject based on the first set of EEG measurement where, the target frequency being an EEG frequency where the brain of the subject operates optimally across a plurality of EEG channels in an alpha brainwave, and generating a treatment protocol for the subject based on the target frequency. The treatment protocol includes one or more individualized transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatments that each include application a plurality of magnetic stimulation pulses for a defined time period and at a frequency of about the target frequency.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for treatment of a mental disorder of a subject, the method comprising, by a processor:
 receiving a first set of electroencephalography (“EEG”) measurements, the first set of EEG measurements corresponding to brain activity at one or more of a plurality of zones of a brain of the subject;   determining, based on the first set of EEG measurements, a target frequency for the subject, the target frequency being an EEG frequency where the brain of the subject operates optimally across a plurality of EEG channels in an alpha brainwave;   generating, based on the target frequency, a treatment protocol for the subject, the treatment protocol comprising one or more individualized transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatments that each include application a plurality of magnetic stimulation pulses for a defined time period and at a frequency of about the target frequency; and   causing a TMS system to provide the one or more individualized TMS treatments to the subject in accordance with the treatment protocol.   
     
     
         2 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the one or more individualized TMS treatments each comprise simultaneous application of the plurality of magnetic stimulation pulses to at least two of the following: a Cz zone, a Fz zone, an F3 zone, and an FPZ zone of the brain of the subject, wherein the Cz, Fz, F3, and FPZ zones correspond to zones designated within a 10-20 system of electrode placement. 
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein determining the target frequency comprises determining a frequency between 8-12 Hz that lies within a threshold distance of a first set of peak frequencies of a majority of the plurality of EEG channels. 
     
     
         4 . The method as recited in  claim 3 , wherein determining the target frequency further comprises aligning the frequency with a nearest heart rate frequency. 
     
     
         5 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein determining the target frequency comprises determining a frequency that corresponds to an average of power spectral density (PSD) values of a majority of the plurality of EEG channels. 
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein a treatment interval is interspersed between two consecutive TMS treatments. 
     
     
         7 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, after the causing the TMS system to provide the one or more treatments to the subject in accordance with the treatment protocol, a second set of EEG measurements;   updating, based on the second set of EEG measurements, the target frequency to generate an updated target frequency; and   generating based on the updated target frequency, a second treatment protocol.   
     
     
         8 . The method as recited in  claim 5 , wherein an intertrain interval of the treatment protocol is different than an intertrain interval of the second treatment protocol. 
     
     
         9 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the target frequency is updated to align with a heart rate frequency of the subject. 
     
     
         10 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, after the causing the TMS system to provide the one or more treatments to the subject in accordance with the treatment protocol, a second set of EEG measurements; and   displaying an improvement in the mental disorder as a movement of a greatest frequency associated with one or more of a plurality of EEG channel closer to the target frequency.   
     
     
         11 . The method as recited in  claim 10 , further comprising:
 determining, based on a comparison of the first set of EEG measurements and the second set of EEG measurements, a change in the mental disorder that is less than a threshold; and   updating the treatment protocol to include a first TMS treatment that comprises application of about 200 to 400 magnetic stimulation pulses at about 30% amplitude to the F3 zone of the brain of the subject.   
     
     
         12 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the mental disorder comprises at least one of the following: traumatic brain injury; tinnitus; short term memory issues; substance abuse disorder; sleep disorder; anxiety; depression; post-traumatic stress disorder; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; bi-polar disorder; dementia; sleep disorders; balance and fine motor skills disorder; reading comprehension; verbal communication, and working memory disorders; night vision disorders; or colors and shape vision disorders. 
     
     
         13 . A system for treatment of a mental disorder of a subject, the system comprising:
 a processor; and   a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising programming instructions that when executed by the processor will cause the processor to:
 receive a first set of electroencephalography (“EEG”) measurements, the first set of EEG measurements corresponding to brain activity at one or more of a plurality of zones of a brain of the subject; 
 determine, based on the first set of EEG measurements, a target frequency for the subject, the target frequency being an EEG frequency where the brain of the subject operates optimally across a plurality of EEG channels in an alpha brainwave; 
 generate, based on the target frequency, a treatment protocol for the subject, the treatment protocol comprising one or more individualized transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatments that each include application a plurality of magnetic stimulation pulses for a defined time period and at a frequency of about the target frequency; and 
 cause a TMS system to provide the one or more individualized TMS treatments to the subject in accordance with the treatment protocol. 
   
     
     
         14 . The system as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the one or more individualized TMS treatments each comprise simultaneous application of the plurality of stimulation pulses to at least two of the following: a Cz zone, a Fz zone, an F3 zone, and an FPZ zone of the brain of the subject, wherein the Cz, Fz, F3, and FPZ zones correspond to zones designated within a 10-20 system of electrode placement. 
     
     
         15 . The system as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the programming instructions that cause the processor to determine the target frequency comprise programming instructions to cause the processor to determine a frequency between 8-12 Hz at which a plurality of peaks across the plurality of EEG channels are approximately aligned. 
     
     
         16 . The system as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the programming instructions that cause the processor to determine the target frequency comprise programming instructions to cause the processor to determine a frequency that corresponds to an average of power spectral density (PSD) values of a majority of the plurality of EEG channels. 
     
     
         17 . The system as recited in  claim 13 , wherein a treatment interval is interspersed between two consecutive TMS treatments. 
     
     
         18 . The system as recited in  claim 13 , further comprising programming instructions that when executed by the processor will cause the processor to:
 receive, after the causing the TMS system to provide the one or more treatments to the subject in accordance with the treatment protocol, a second set of EEG measurements;   update, based on the second set of EEG measurements, the target frequency to generate an updated target frequency; and   generate, based on the updated target frequency, a second treatment protocol.   
     
     
         19 . The system as recited in  claim 17 , wherein an intertrain interval of the treatment protocol is different than an intertrain interval of the second treatment protocol. 
     
     
         20 . The system as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the target frequency is updated to align with a heart rate frequency of the subject. 
     
     
         21 . The system as recited in  claim 13 , further comprising programming instructions that when executed by the processor will cause the processor to:
 receive, after the causing the TMS system to provide the one or more treatments to the subject in accordance with the treatment protocol, a second set of EEG measurements; and   display an improvement in the mental disorder as a movement of a greatest frequency associated with one or more of a plurality of EEG channel closer to the target frequency.